Momentum Monday: Are You Paying Too Much Stupid Tax? 7 Ways Being Disorganized Costs You Money

Often you hear people joke that there should be a tax for being stupid. Well, there is…kinda. It’s called Stupid Tax and it’s a sort of Karmic tax for doing stupid things. For example, if you knowingly put off doing something you should do and as a result, incur a fine, fee or other financial loss, that IS stupid tax.

The thing about stupid tax is everyone pays it. Late fees, parking tickets, overpaying for stuff, and anything you need to rebuy because it’s lost, stolen or broken as the result of something you did or didn’t do all count as stupid tax.

Now the fact that stupid tax is unavoidable shouldn’t be a reason to ignore it. Sometimes we end up paying MORE stupid tax than other times because our lack of organization costs us (in extra stupid tax). Why? Because we’re being extra stupid.

7 Ways Being Disorganized Costs You Money (aka Stupid Tax)

#1: Forgetful – Missed deadlines, late payments or expired coupons and gift certificates all add up (to money that is wasted on being forgetful). Track deadlines, schedule payments, and set reminders for expiry dates in your calendar.

#2: Lost Opportunity – It’s difficult to quantify exactly how much you lose in lost opportunities, but failing to follow-up on leads promptly or missing deadlines or details with your current projects means you lose out on potential clients.

#3: Rushing – This is where stupid tax sneaks up on you. Rushing costs you in jobs poorly done that need redoing, in speeding to make up time that results in a speeding ticket, or other miscellaneous minor disasters that cost you in nickels and dimes.

#4: Lost or Broken Things – From keys to keepsakes, being disorganized (meaning things are stored in a jumbled mess) results in stuff getting lost or broken. Everything needs a designated ‘home’ where it is properly stored safely.

#5: Unproductive Time – Time spent trying to find things, searching through files or ‘getting ready’ to work means downtime and costs you one of your most valuable resources: time. That’s time you could use to generate more revenue.

#6: Last Minute Requests – From grocery shopping to outsourced projects, all cost more at the last minute (and let’s face it, disorganized people are difficult to work with and tend to get charged extra by service providers and contractors).

#7: Duplicate Efforts – This form of stupid tax is especially costly if you work with a team because you end up wasting a lot of effort due to miscommunication. Other ways duplication costs you is in rebuying things that you already have on hand.